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Outrage alert (MORE: AIR AMERICA SUSPENDS RANDI RHODES)

Remember several months ago, when John McCain took a question from a supporter who called Hillary Clintion the “b” word? The outrage stretched out for miles, and among those stridently condemning McCain for not taking the supporter to task was hypocritical View co-host Joy Behar, who had this to say in response:

SHEPHERD: What I’m saying is the same could be said, she felt Hillary Clinton was a bitch. And so she said it.

BEHAR: No, that’s a personal assault on the woman.

SHEPHERD: You do personal assaults on President Bush.

BEHAR: Yes, I do.

SHEPHERD: So what’s the difference? What’s the difference?

BEHAR: The difference is that I don’t like him.

[Laughter]

SHEPHERD: What’s the difference? She didn’t like her.

GOLDBERG: And this woman doesn’t like her.

I wonder if Behar’s outrage will be just as strident once she reads this:

From prostitutes yesterday to whores today — and people wander why politics is so entertaining. Randi Rhodes, the drive-time radio personality for Air America, the liberal talk radio network, now says HRC’s “a whore.” Geraldine Ferraro, too.

The audio is at that same link.

Will we hear/read the same outrage expressed by The Usual Suspects who often go ballistic when they think a conservative talk radio host is being too mean to their candidate, and who thought McCain should have stepped up and condemned the supporter’s remarks about Hillary, or will they largely consider it yawn-worthy because it’s “one of their own” who is crossing the bounds of decency (not that it hasn’t happened before, of course)? I vote the latter.

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Any drinkers of Absolut Vodka out there? You may want to boycott the brand, after reading about an ad they ran in a Mexican magazine in which they portrayed the US and Mexico as looking like this (h/t: James Joyner):

Update – 6:06 PM: Wonders never will cease. Liberal Democrats are outraged after all. ST reader NC Cop notes in the comments that Air America has suspended Randi Rhodes:

Air America radio has suspended talk show host Randi Rhodes for what has been described as an appalling rant against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Clinton supporter Geraldine Ferraro.

Rhodes used obscene language in her choice remarks during a March 22 appearance in San Francisco, sponsored by an Air America affiliate station. In a statement issued on the liberal radio network’s Web site, Air America chairman Charlie Kireker said that kind of salty talk has no place in the political dialogue.

“Air America encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our hosts” reads the statement by Kireker, issued on Thursday.

“What did they do with Don Imus when he went after the young black team who was playing basketball with kind of the same language? Treat them both the same” Ferraro told FOX News. “She’s coming at me and Hillary in a â€¦ sexist way”

Ferraro added that her comments about Obama were blown out of proportion and taken out of context so that the race card could be played, which was apparently effective since she has received a considerable amount of hate mail.

“To incite people with language like this young woman just did on radio is very, very dangerous because â€¦ some people take this stuff so seriously that it can affect your security” she said.

Please. If anything “incites” people to carry out attacks on a public figure it’s another popular public figure treating assassination as if it’s something “entertaining” that should be laughed about. As usual, we see a Democrat – in this case, a Clinton supporter – utilizing the Bill Clinton “it’s hate radio’s fault” line. Very telling how they only do that when it’s their ox being gored, eh?

Sev, he might have been commenting as I was editing – I originally did mention Rush, but changed it to “conservative talk radio hosts” to encompass a bigger scope

However, alchemist didn’t address the fact that it was a liberal host (and a popular one at that) who called Hillary and Ferraro both “whores” – something that would normally elicit outrage on a massive scale if it came from a conservative talk show host, whether it was Rush or anyone else. Alchemist, do you think The Usual Suspects will line up to condemn Rhodes, or will there be, as per the norm, a double standard here?

Sev, he might have been commenting as I was editing – I originally did mention Rush, but changed it to “conservative talk radio hosts” to encompass a bigger scope

Ah, if that’s the case I apologize for jumping on him about bringing Rush into it then.

WRT Rhodes, the liberals have an interesting view on what constitutes “hate” speech and such don’t they? Only applies if it is about another liberal, but as pointed out calling for Bush’s assassination and worse comments about him and other conservatives are just fine.

Just like the old USSR. I remember a story where one comedian was talking with a Russian counterpart, saying in the US we have freedom of speech, we can make jokes about the President. The Russian replied we have freedom of speech too, we can make jokes about your President whenever we like.

Look folks! Like it or not, this is the way it is today. There’s coarse language everywhere, this is an election year, and I am so tired of this choreographed outrage every time a partisan resorts to it.

If you hire a Rhodes or an Imus, etc. etc. to speak or perform before your group, you cannot then profess outrage when they do the job they’re hired to do.

Yeah, a whore isn’t really a great thing to call anyone ever. It basically undercuts the image of emotional stability (of the attacker, not the victim). I just don’t see a situation where it’s ever appropriate.

Maybe if you’re husband was sleeping with a prostitute…. but I digress.

I’m not anti-air america, they have a right to exist as much as the next blowhard. I just wish they were smarter about the way the do things. You know, be a little more grown up and savvy than they’re right wing equivalents. But they’re not, so I don’t listen.

Most politicians I know should aspire to being a whore. A whore gives something of value for the money, which is not what you generally expect or receive from politicians. Since most of them are lawyers, this old joke is applicable. What’s the difference between a lawyer and a hooker? A hooker will stop screwing you when you’re dead.